Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Ev. Lutheran Church.
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921), pp. 565-773
Preface
A Christian, Profitable, and Necessary Preface and Faithful,
Earnest Exhortation of Dr. Martin Luther to All Christians, but Especially to
All Pastors and Preachers, that They Should Daily Exercise Themselves in the
Catechism, which is a Short Summary and Epitome of the Entire Holy Scriptures,
and that They May Always Teach the Same.
We have no slight reasons for
treating the Catechism so constantly [in sermons] and for both desiring and
beseeching others to teach it, since we see to our sorrow that many pastors and
preachers are very negligent in this, and slight both their office and this
teaching; some from great and high art [giving their mind, as they imagine, to
much higher matters], but others from sheer laziness and care for their
paunches, assuming no other relation to this business than if they were pastors
and preachers for their bellies' sake, and had nothing to do but to [spend and]
consume their emoluments as long as they live, as they have been accustomed to
do under the Papacy.
And although they have now everything that they
are to preach and teach placed before them so abundantly, clearly, and easily,
in so many [excellent and] helpful books, and the true Sermones per se
loquentes, Dormi secure, Paratos et Thesauros, as they were called in former
times; yet they are not so godly and honest as to buy these books, or even when
they have them, to look at them or read them. Alas! they are altogether
shameful gluttons and servants of their own bellies who ought to be more
properly swineherds and dog-tenders than care-takers of souls and pastors.
And now that they are delivered from the
unprofitable and burdensome babbling of the Seven Canonical Hours, oh, that,
instead thereof, they would only, morning, noon, and evening, read a page or
two in the Catechism, the Prayer-book, the New Testament, or elsewhere in the
Bible, and pray the Lord's Prayer for themselves and their parishioners, so
that they might render, in return, honor and thanks to the Gospel, by which
they have been delivered from burdens and troubles so manifold, and might feel
a little shame because like pigs and dogs they retain no more of the Gospel
than such a lazy, pernicious, shameful, carnal liberty! For, alas! as it is,
the common people regard the Gospel altogether too lightly, and we accomplish
nothing extraordinary even though we use all diligence. What, then, will be
achieved if we shall be negligent and lazy as we were under the Papacy?
To this there is added the shameful vice and
secret infection of security and satiety, that is, that many regard the
Catechism as a poor, mean teaching, which they can read through at one time,
and then immediately know it, throw the book into a corner, and be ashamed, as
it were, to read in it again.
Yea, even among the nobility there may be found
some louts and scrimps, who declare that there is no longer any need either of
pastors or preachers; that we have everything in books, and every one can
easily learn it by himself; and so they are content to let the parishes decay
and become desolate, and pastors and preachers to suffer distress and hunger a
plenty, just as it becomes crazy Germans to do. For we Germans have such
disgraceful people, and must endure them.
But for myself I say this: I am also a doctor and
preacher, yea, as learned and experienced as all those may be who have such
presumption and security; yet I do as a child who is being taught the
Catechism, and every morning, and whenever I have time, I read and say, word
for word, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Psalms, etc.
And I must still read and study daily, and yet I cannot master it as I wish,
but must remain a child and pupil of the Catechism, and am glad so to remain.
And yet these delicate, fastidious fellows would with one reading promptly be
doctors above all doctors, know everything and be in need of nothing. Well,
this, too, is indeed a sure sign that they despise both their office and the
souls of the people, yea, even God and His Word. They do not have to fall, they
are already fallen all too horribly, they would need to become children, and
begin to learn their alphabet, which they imagine that they have long since
outgrown.
Therefore I beg such lazy paunches or
presumptuous saints to be persuaded and believe for God's sake that they are
verily, verily! not so learned or such great doctors as they imagine; and never
to presume that they have finished learning this [the parts of the Catechism],
or know it well enough in all points, even though they think that they know it
ever so well. For though they should know and understand it perfectly (which,
however, is impossible in this life), yet there are manifold benefits and
fruits still to be obtained, if it be daily read and practised in thought and
speech; namely, that the Holy Ghost is present in such reading and repetition
and meditation, and bestows ever new and more light and devoutness, so that it
is daily relished and appreciated better, as Christ promises, Matt. 18, 20:
Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of
them.
Besides, it is an exceedingly effectual help
against the devil, the world, and the flesh and all evil thoughts to be
occupied with the Word of God, and to speak of it, and meditate upon it, so
that the First Psalm declares those blessed who meditate upon the law of God
day and night. Undoubtedly, you will not start a stronger incense or other
fumigation against the devil than by being engaged upon God's commandments and
words, and speaking, singing, or thinking of them. For this is indeed the true
holy water and holy sign from which he flees, and by which he may be driven
away.
Now, for this reason alone you ought gladly to
read, speak, think and treat of these things if you had no other profit and
fruit from them than that by doing so you can drive away the devil and evil
thoughts. For he cannot hear or endure God's Word; and God's Word is not like
some other silly prattle, as that about Dietrich of Berne, etc., but as St.
Paul says, Rom. 1, 16, the power of God. Yea, indeed, the power of God which
gives the devil burning pain, and strengthens, comforts, and helps us beyond
measure.
And what need is there of many words ? If I were
to recount all the profit and fruit which God's Word produces, whence would I
get enough paper and time? The devil is called the master of a thousand arts.
But what shall we call God's Word, which drives away and brings to naught this
master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power? It must indeed be the
master of more than a hundred thousand arts. And shall we frivolously despise
such power, profit, strength, and fruit -- we, especially, who claim to be
pastors and preachers? If so, we should not only have nothing given us to eat,
but be driven out, being baited with dogs, and pelted with dung, because we not
only need all this every day as we need our daily bread but must also daily use
it against the daily and unabated attacks and lurking of the devil, the master
of a thousand arts.
And if this were not sufficient to admonish us to
read the Catechism daily, yet we should feel sufficiently constrained by the
command of God alone, who solemnly enjoins in Deut. 6, 6 ff. that we should
always meditate upon His precepts, sitting, walking, standing, Lying down, and
rising, and have them before our eyes and in our hands as a constant mark and
sign. Doubtless He did not so solemnly require and enjoin this without a
purpose; but because He knows our danger and need, as well as the constant and
furious assaults and temptations of devils, He wishes to warn, equip, and
preserve us against them, as with a good armor against their fiery darts and
with good medicine against their evil infection and suggestion.
Oh, what mad, senseless fools are we that, while
we must ever live and dwell among such mighty enemies as the devils are, we
nevertheless despise our weapons and defense, and are too lazy to look at or
think of them!
And what else are such supercilious, presumptuous
saints, who are unwilling to read and study the Catechism daily, doing than
esteeming themselves much more learned than God Himself with all His saints,
angels [patriarchs], prophets, apostles, and all Christians For inasmuch as God
Himself is not ashamed to teach these things daily, as knowing nothing better
to teach, and always keeps teaching the same thing, and does not take up
anything new or different, and all the saints know nothing better or different
to learn, and cannot finish learning this, are we not the finest of all fellows
to imagine, if we have once read or heard it, that we know it all, and have no
further need to read and learn, but can finish learning in one hour what God
Himself cannot finish teaching, although He is engaged in teaching it from the
beginning to the end of the world, and all prophets, together with all saints,
have been occupied with learning it and have ever remained pupils, and must
continue to be such ?
For it needs must be that whoever knows the Ten
Commandments perfectly must know all the Scriptures, so that, in all affairs
and cases, he can advise, help, comfort, judge, and decide both spiritual and
temporal matters and is qualified to sit in judgment upon all doctrines,
estates, spirits, laws, and whatever else is in the world. And what, indeed, is
the entire Psalter but thoughts and exercises upon the First Commandment? Now I
know of a truth that such lazy paunches and presumptuous spirits do not
understand a single psalm, much less the entire Holy Scriptures; and yet they
pretend to know and despise the Catechism, which is a compend and brief summary
of all the Holy Scriptures.
Therefore I again implore all Christians,
especially pastors and preachers, not to be doctors too soon, and imagine that
they know everything (for imagination and cloth unshrunk [and false weights]
fall far short of the measure), but that they daily exercise themselves well in
these studies and constantly treat them; moreover, that they guard with all
care and diligence against the poisonous infection of such security and vain
imagination, but steadily keep on reading, teaching, learning, pondering, and
meditating, and do not cease until they have made a test and are sure that they
have taught the devil to death and have become more learned than God Himself
and all His saints.
If they manifest such diligence, then I will
promise them, and they shall also perceive, what fruit they will obtain, and
what excellent men God will make of them, so that in due time they themselves
will acknowledge that the longer and the more they study the Catechism, the
less they know of it, and the more they find yet to learn; and then only, as
hungry and thirsty ones, will they truly relish that which now they cannot
endure because of great abundance and satiety. To this end may God grant His
grace! Amen.
